Takahashi actually earned the highest PCS of the night in the LP with 84.50 and Lambiel was second highest with 83.60. Had Dai played it safe like Evan, he would be Olympic champion. Daisuke has got to be kicking himself in the aftermath of it all. Why did he have to try that quad . . . it ruined everything for him.

It's what separates the men like Daisuke from the mediocre drones like Lysacek - Dai is a true champion (something Plushenko commented on as well) who went for being the best he could be, at the most risk filled moment, with an element that he knew he would most probably not succeed in doing. Now that is what a true champion does. This is what is truly disgusting in this sport today and not the nonsense some other posters are mentioning - mediocrity is never progress and yet it is being hailed!

I think that Dai actually prefers his bronze than the gold he would have gotten by being a little wimp like Lysacek. It simply would not have been gold to him if earned that way.

Some posters here just don't get it - it's not just about the victory it's the journey to that victory too. This is what separates the true masters of their craft who are remembered and those who just fade away. This is also why we sometimes remember those who lost while those who won are quickly erased.

In addition to double-standards it seems to me, the picture being painted right now is a BIT too dramatic. I mean (a stupid idea) surely there is more to him than "winning titles and spinning four times in the air." Plushenko's off ice behaviour has never before been really criticized. May it be that his criticism against the judging is a bitter pill to swallow for a nation that has benefited from it in recent years?

As for the comments...
I read a few pages of them and though I already had developed a biased opinion on americans, that took the cake.
Where do they come from?

A thought on mediocrity... isn't it really hailed everywhere nowadays? Shame it has crept into sport as well.

I am not quite sure what the correct word is. His behavior reminds me of the golfer that throws his club after missing a put. To say that Evan skated a 20 year old program and did not deserve the win! To say that Evan won because the Skating industrial complex needed an american hero!

I suggest that Evgeni should go back and read the rules, develop a program that can win, and practice it before his next competition.

It's what separates the men like Daisuke from the mediocre drones like Lysacek - Dai is a true champion (something Plushenko commented on as well) who went for being the best he could be, at the most risk filled moment, with an element that he knew he would most probably not succeed in doing. Now that is what a true champion does. This is what is truly disgusting in this sport today and not the nonsense some other posters are mentioning - mediocrity is never progress and yet it is being hailed!

I think that Dai actually prefers his bronze than the gold he would have gotten by being a little wimp like Lysacek. It simply would not have been gold to him if earned that way.

Some posters here just don't get it - it's not just about the victory it's the journey to that victory too. This is what separates the true masters of their craft who are remembered and those who just fade away. This is also why we sometimes remember those who lost while those who won are quickly erased.

So you think they should be awarded points for their journey? That's insulting because I daresay every single skater up there has had a long and arduous journey. Plushenko did not skate masterfully. If he had, he would have won. The scores were so close it could have gone either way but it didn't. Take it up with the judges.

So you think they should be awarded points for their journey? That's insulting because I daresay every single skater up there has had a long and arduous journey. Plushenko did not skate masterfully. If he had, he would have won. The scores were so close it could have gone either way but it didn't. Take it up with the judges.

Why is it difficult to read what I have written?!

Please put in bold where I said that they should be awarded points for something they try and fail to do. It's really utterly ridiculous how you take something out of context and just spin it the way you want. Re-read what I wrote again if you want an actual conversation, otherwise spare me the nonsense.

It's what separates the men like Daisuke from the mediocre drones like Lysacek - Dai is a true champion (something Plushenko commented on as well) who went for being the best he could be, at the most risk filled moment, with an element that he knew he would most probably not succeed in doing. Now that is what a true champion does. This is what is truly disgusting in this sport today and not the nonsense some other posters are mentioning - mediocrity is never progress and yet it is being hailed!

I think that Dai actually prefers his bronze than the gold he would have gotten by being a little wimp like Lysacek. It simply would not have been gold to him if earned that way.

Some posters here just don't get it - it's not just about the victory it's the journey to that victory too. This is what separates the true masters of their craft who are remembered and those who just fade away. This is also why we sometimes remember those who lost while those who won are quickly erased.

Yeah... If that implies that Plushenko is a master of his craft, think again. If his craft is figure skating, he should know about his craft, how to create a program that can earn points under the scoring system of the said craft.

How can you be a master of a craft if you do not understand how that craft works?

Please put in bold where I said that they should be awarded points for something they try and fail to do. It's really utterly ridiculous how you take something out of context and just spin it the way you want. Re-read what I wrote again if you want an actual conversation, otherwise spare me the nonsense.

Yeah... If that implies that Plushenko is a master of his craft, think again. If his craft is figure skating, he should know about his craft, how to create a program that can earn points under the scoring system of the said craft.

How can you be a master of a craft if you do not understand how that craft works?

Well said. His coach should have known the rules and created a progam that would score the points. For start, how about doing the number of jumps you are allowed to do 12 instead of the 11 he did.